|
|
Coke - Fact Sheet
|
|
|
The Problem:
|
- Every year an estimated 10 billion plastic Coke
bottles in the U.S. that could be recycled, are not
recycled.
- Two-thirds of these bottles—about 500 million pounds
of plastic—end up being littered or landfilled.
- The public pays for this vast waste of resources
by subsidizing the cost of landfilling, incineration,
litter cleanup and recycling.
- The volume of beverage container waste grew by nearly
50% between 1992 and 1998, However, U.S. recycling
rates declined nearly 15%
|
|
| |
| Coke and Recycled Content: |
|
In 1990, The Coca-Cola Company announced it would use 25%
recycled content in its plastic bottles. However, Coke quietly
withdrew this policy several years later. Last year, after
pressure from activist groups, the company took a step in
the right direction by using 10% recycled content in 25% of
its plastic bottles. This amounts to just 2.5% recycled content
overall.
Coke has the technological ability to go to 25% recycled
content by 2005. In fact, it is already using 25% in bottles
in four other countries.
Several competitors, including Gatorade and Veryfine, use
25% recycled content in their plastic containers.
|
 |
| |
| Coke and Recycling Rates: |
- Management says it is committed to environmentally sustainable
solutions. But capturing only one-third of their post-consumer
plastic bottles and half of their
aluminum cans is not a formula for sustainability.
- While Coke talks about "shared responsibility"
for recycling, it fights bottle bills [container deposits],
the best tool available for capturing large amounts of post-consumer
bottles and cans. Yet it has not set recycling rate goals
equivalent to those possible through bottle bills.
|
| |
| Coca-Cola’s Reputation at Risk |
|
Unless the Coca-Cola Company steps up to take responsibility
for its contribution to the national solid waste problem,
its reputation will be at risk.
Environmental groups have run advertisements in major national
newspapers that question the company’s environmental commitment,
resulting in continuing controversy and harm to the value
of the Coca-Cola brand name.
The Coca-Cola Company needs to take responsibility for the
proper disposal of its products. It must either stop opposing
bottle bills or propose its own alternative that achieves
the 80% recycling rate attained by bottle bills.
|
| |
